Can anyone provide me with a good Secure Delete program that I can run from CD drive ??
I am helping a friend and someone mentioned that wiping HD with bunch of 0000s (Secure Delete) is better than typical format.
Thanks,
Tiger
He wants to nuke the hard drive as in removing everything? There's DBAN for that.
If he only wants to overwrite the free space leaving Windows, programs, and files intact then there's Eraser Portable, CCleaner Portable
Others that are good at free space wiping are File Shredder and Alternate File Shredder although they're not portable.
He wants to nuke the hard drive as in removing everything? There's DBAN for that.
If he only wants to overwrite the free space leaving Windows, programs, and files intact then there's Eraser Portable, CCleaner Portable
Others that are good at free space wiping are File Shredder and Alternate File Shredder although they're not portable.
Thanks,
I assume after using DBAN, there should not be any problem restoring backed image using Macrium Reflect ??
Thanks,I assume after using DBAN, there should not be any problem restoring backed image using Macrium Reflect ??
Essentially yes, since the hard disk will have been wiped clean. I've never actually used DBAN myself and don't know exactly what it details other than looking for hard disks to wipe out so if he has a second hard disk and doesn't want it wiped out he should probably unplug it.
AJ:
Have you actually tried Kill then restored Macrium Reflect image ?? Or other images ??
Thanks,
Thanks,I assume after using DBAN, there should not be any problem restoring backed image using Macrium Reflect ??
if you use dban on your drive. you wont be able to restore ne thing unless on another dive.
iden:
What do you mean ?? Are you saying after DBAN, Macrium restore will not work ??
If so, any idea how I can restore to the same HDD ??
During restore, I got to Choose Partition to overwrite. So I chose two (using cntl key), but "no new partition can be restored to this location" error.
Some told me to delete the partition first. But how can I ?? I am using rescue CD, and HD is cleaned with secure delete.
So the partitions are still there? According to the documentation DBAN erases the partition table. Maybe they're corrupted in some way - which would hardly be surprising.
Reflect will need a partition to restore back into.
If you don't have a vanilla Windows installation disk then something like GPartEdLive should be able to sort your partitions out from a bootable CD. You need to download the iso disk image to a hard drive and burn it to a CD. If you don't have a burner for iso images then ImageBurn is a straightforward free one. [Think of an iso image as a like a Reflect image but for an optical disk - it's a complete disk copy held in one iso file.]
Question though. Since I'm assuming the image has come from this machine (and hence disk) in the first place, are you sure that whatever you wanted to nuke isn't on this image. I.e. are you just going to restore this 'bad' content?
Thanks, I will try GPart program.
The image I have is from before any of these issues. To be honest, I was doing some testing to see how secure delete really worked. Now I know.
The image is clean so if I can restore, I am back in business.
I was told to "delete the partition" in order to restore. But how?? I have the recovery disk, but typically, I just start it from DVD drive and it does the rest. How can I isolate partition deleting program from the recovery disk ??
I was told to "delete the partition" in order to restore. But how?? I have the recovery disk, but typically, I just start it from DVD drive and it does the rest. How can I isolate partition deleting program from the recovery disk ??
As two steps:
GPartEd will let you sort out your partitions, so you boot up with that disk to do that.
Then you can boot up again with your Reflect recovery disk to finish off.
I ran Gpart and deleted the partition. So now I have 74GB of unallocated empty space. Then I tried tor restore, but still got "No new partition can be restored to this location" message.
This is getting way too deep for me. but it should 't that hard to understand.
I deleted the partition and I have 74GB of unallocated space. What more can I do ??
What does Macrium restore looking for ??
I deleted the partition and I have 74GB of unallocated space. What more can I do ??What does Macrium restore looking for ??
Okay - now you need to use GPartEd to create a new partition for Reflect to use. I'm assuming the old one wasn't in a fit state because of what DBAN had done to it.
Interestingly, I already tried that. I created 74GB of NTSF partition. But still the same "No new partition can be restored to this location" error.
GPart gave me many choices of formats..FAT32, NTSF, etc..
Which on should I have used ??
Interestingly, I already tried that. I created 74GB of NTSF partition. But still the same "No new partition can be restored to this location" error.GPart gave me many choices of formats..FAT32, NTSF, etc..
Which on should I have used ??
NTFS
I've just googled your error message ... have a look at these posts from the Macrium forums ... http://support.macrium.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=155 and http://support.macrium.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=717
Funny..I found the exact same post. The key was holding down cntl key while selecting the partitions.
I tried this before using Gpart, and since I used Gpart. Even after creating single new partition, 74GB.
But the same error.
It must be something to do with the way secure delete kills the disk that Macrium doesnot like.
But secure delete is writing 000s so (I thought) there is NOTHING on the HD...no partition tables, no information of any sort.
So I am very surprised that restore is "looking" for something ???
If there is NOTHING on the HD, what's going on ??
Maybe I really don't understand what it means to secure delete ??? This has been a great lesson.
So I used the recovery disk to load all factory settings.. Formatted fine, loaded Vista, Compaq factory settings....
All I have to do is reload the programs...No big deal.
But a new question ???
If I image the HD now, will i have the same "No new partition can be restored to this location" error ??
Since Whatever was causing the error may still be on HD ????
I will test it and see !!!
I will never do another secure delete ever again.
Thanks
If I understand you correctly, you've used the manufacturer's recovery disk to start agaain?
If that's the case, once you've got past the format you'll probably find the Reflect image now restores? That idea (to format) was mentioned in, I think, that first of those posts?
I'm not too familiar with the low-level goings on in disks, but it may be the MBR that needed to be recreated. It would be interesting to find out ... I suspect you were very close.
Update...Very strange experience.
I used recovery disk and installed factory settings.. (took 5 hrs++)
Then I tried to restore the old image into newly recovered HD, Same error.
So I made a new image then tried restore. It worked. But I could not restore the old image.
I have no idea what's happening and neither does anyone else.
So much for new experience ...
Update...Very strange experience.
I used recovery disk and installed factory settings.. (took 5 hrs++)
Then I tried to restore the old image into newly recovered HD, Same error.
So I made a new image then tried restore. It worked. But I could not restore the old image.
I have no idea what's happening and neither does anyone else.
So much for new experience ...
Yeah, well that's that way it goes sometimes.
Unfortunately, 'everyone else' is on the wrong end of an internet connection.
I still doubt the original image is useless - see what they make of it on the Reflect forum if you need to get it back.
can i just ask why you so worried about secure deletion? iv personally never seen any one claim to be able to recover wiped data. But my friend who earns a hell of a lot then me argues its possible. The normal person does not have access to that type of equipment.